27 2 Recent Literature. [July 



Zoology, and thus practically upon all of the material in this country 

 available for study. "Somewhat to my surprise," says Mr. Ridgway, 

 "the existence of a much greater number of clearly-defined forms than 

 have been recognized by leading authorities soon became apparent; and 

 a strict regard for the principles of geographical distribution and variation 

 has left me no other resource than to describe a considerable number as 

 new to science, even though by doing so the number of the latter exactly 

 equals that of those which have hitherto been recognized as valid." 



While he believes that more extensive collections, representing large 

 areas in South America now practically unknown as regards this group, 

 will considerably further increase the number of forms, it seems to him 

 also probable "that more material will show that several of the forms 

 now ranked as distinct species actually intergrade, thus being entitled 

 only to trinomial instead of binomial appellations." 



The range of the genus extends from southern Mexico southward to 

 Bolivia, the Argentine Republic, and Paraguay. Of the n forms recog- 

 nized by Mr. Ridgway the following are described as new: Xipliocolaftes 

 sclateri, from southeastern Mexico; X. emigrans costaricensis, from 

 Costa Rica; X. virgatus, habitat unknown; X. ignotus, from Ecuador; 

 A', cinnamomeus, from Eastern Brazil; X. major castaneus, from Bolivia. 

 Four additional species are included as "not seen" by the author, the 

 exact status of which seems more or less in doubt. Several of the new 

 forms are based on single specimens, in one case without locality, and in 

 others on examples obviously immature. In view of our ignorance, 

 through the absence of adequate material, of the variations dependent on 

 age, sex, and season among Dendrocolaptine birds, Mr. Ridgway 

 appears to have taken a rather bold position in reference to the present 

 group.— J. A. A. 



Ridgway on the Genus Sclerurus. — The equally difficult genus Scler- 

 urus has also recently passed under Mr. Ridgway's critical notice. * This 

 genus has about the same geographical distribution as Xipliocolaftes 

 and about the same number of forms, as determined by Mr. Ridgway, who 

 recognizes, in the present paper, ten species of Sclerurus. Of these one 

 (6\ laivrencei, from "Bahia") is described as new, and a Maximilian 

 name is revived for another, Wied's Tinactor fuscus being considered as 

 in part (the female) referable to 6'. umbretta (Licht), and in part (the 

 male) to a new form, for which Wied's name is retained. Heretolore 

 Wied's Tinactor fuscus has been synonymized with 5. umbretta (Licht.). 

 Mr. Ridgway gives the habitat of S. fuscus as "Upper Amazons," but 

 there is apparently no good reason for supposing the locality of either of 

 Wied's specimens to have been other than southeastern Brazil. In his 

 MS. Catalogue the locality and source of both these specimens are 

 given as "Brasilien, M. R." (= meine Reise).f The remarks made 



* A Review of the Genus Sclerurus of Swainson. By Robert Ridgway. Proc. U. S. 

 Nat. Mus., Vol. XII, 1889, pp. 21-31. 

 t Cf. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., Vol. II, p. 242. 



